1 Kings 19:15

Amplified Bible

The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram (Syria);

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the Lord said to him, “Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

Hebrew Names Version
The LORD said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Dammesek: and when you come, you shall anoint Haza'el to be king over Aram;

King James Version
And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:

English Standard Version
And the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.

New Century Version
The Lord said to him, "Go back on the road that leads to the desert around Damascus. Enter that city, and pour olive oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram.

New English Translation
The Lord said to him, "Go back the way you came and then head for the Desert of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria.

New American Standard Bible
The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Lord said vnto him, Goe, returne by the wildernes vnto Damascus, and when thou commest there, anoint Hazael King ouer Aram.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and you will arrive and anoint Hazael king over Aram;

Contemporary English Version
The Lord said: Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint Hazael to be king of Syria.

Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai said to him, "Go back by way of the Dammesek Desert. When you get there, anoint Haza'el to be king over Aram.

Darby Translation
And Jehovah said to him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when thou comest, anoint Hazael king over Syria;

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord said, "Go back. Take the road that leads to the desert around Damascus. Go into Damascus and anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

George Lamsa Translation
And the LORD said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; then go and anoint Hazael to be king over Aram;

Good News Translation
The Lord said, "Return to the wilderness near Damascus, then enter the city and anoint Hazael as king of Syria;

Lexham English Bible
Then Yahweh said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael as king over Aram;

Literal Translation
And Jehovah said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and you shall go in and anoint Hazael as king over Syria;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the LORDE sayde vnto him: Go yi waye agayne thorow the wyldernes vnto Damascon, & go in, & anoynte Hasael kynge ouer Siria,

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria;

Bible in Basic English
And the Lord said to him, Go back on your way through the waste land to Damascus; and when you come there, put the holy oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Lord sayde vnto him: Go, and turne thy way to the wildernesse vnto Damasco: & when thou commest there, annoynt Hazael king ouer Syria:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD said unto him: 'Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Aram;

King James Version (1611)
And the Lord sayd vnto him, Goe, returne on thy way to the wildernesse of Damascus: and when thou commest, anoint Hazael to be King ouer Syria.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord said to him, Go, return, and thou shalt come into the way of the wilderness of Damascus: and thou shalt go and anoint Azael to be king over Syria.

English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto him, Go return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:

Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to him, "Go back by the way you came, to the Desert of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord seide to hym, Go, and turne ayen in to thi weie, bi the deseert, in to Damask; and whanne thou schalt come thidur, thou schalt anoynte Asahel kyng on Sirie;

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto him, `Go turn back on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus, and thou hast gone in, and anointed Hazael for king over Aram,

Update Bible Version
And Yahweh said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when you come, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria;

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael [to be] king over Syria:

World English Bible
Yahweh said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when you come, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria;

New King James Version
Then the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.

New Living Translation
Then the Lord told him, "Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram.

New Life Bible
The Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the desert of Damascus. When you get there, set apart Hazael to be the king of Syria.

New Revised Standard
Then the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Yahweh said unto him, Go, return to thy way, towards the wilderness of Damascus, - and, when thou enterest, then shalt thou anoint Hazael to be king over Syria;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said to him: Go, and return on thy way, through the desert, to Damascus: and when thou art come thither, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria;

Revised Standard Version
And the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall anoint Haz'ael to be king over Syria;

THE MESSAGE
God said, "Go back the way you came through the desert to Damascus. When you get there anoint Hazael; make him king over Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi; make him king over Israel. Finally, anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Anyone who escapes death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu; and anyone who escapes death by Jehu will be killed by Elisha. Meanwhile, I'm preserving for myself seven thousand souls: the knees that haven't bowed to the god Baal, the mouths that haven't kissed his image."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram;

Contextual Overview

⁹There he came to a cave and spent the night in it; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ¹⁰He said, "I have been very zealous (impassioned) for the LORD God of hosts (armies) [proclaiming what is rightfully and uniquely His]; for the sons of Israel have abandoned (broken) Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, only I, am left; and they seek to take away my life." ¹¹So He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by, and a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind, [there was] an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹²After the earthquake, [there was] a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, [there was] the sound of a gentle blowing. ¹³When Elijah heard the sound, he wrapped his face in his mantle (cloak) and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ¹⁴He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts (armies), because the sons of Israel have abandoned (broken) Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, only I, am left; and they seek to take away my life." ¹⁵The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram (Syria);¹⁶and you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷"It shall come about that Jehu shall put to death whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, and Elisha shall put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸"Yet I will leave 7,000 [survivors] in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed down to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

wilderness of Damascus: The wilderness of Damascus seems to have been that part of Arabia Deserta which lay on the south-east of that city, and east of the Trachonites, or the Djebel Haouran and El Ledja; at which the prophet could arrive without meeting Jezebel or any of his enemies. Genesis 14:15, 2 Kings 8:7, Acts 9:2, Acts 9:3

anoint: Isaiah 45:1, Jeremiah 1:10, Jeremiah 27:2-22

Hazael: 2 Kings 8:8-15, 2 Kings 8:28, 2 Kings 9:14, Amos 1:4

Reciprocal: Judges 9:9 - wherewith 1 Samuel 9:16 - thou shalt 1 Kings 11:24 - to Damascus 2 Kings 8:9 - Hazael 2 Kings 8:13 - The Lord 2 Kings 8:15 - Hazael

Cross-References

Genesis 19:4
But before they lay down [to sleep], the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house, all the men from every quarter;

Genesis 19:5
and they called out to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may know them [intimately]."

Genesis 19:7
and said, "Please, my brothers, do not do something so wicked.

Genesis 19:8
"See here, I have two daughters who have not known a man [intimately]; please let me bring them out to you [instead], and you can do as you please with them; only do nothing to these men, because they have in fact come under the shelter of my roof [for protection]."

Genesis 19:17
When they had brought them outside, one [of the angels] said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, or stop anywhere in the entire valley; escape to the mountains [of Moab], or you will be consumed and swept away."

Genesis 19:22
"Hurry and take refuge there, for I cannot do anything [to punish Sodom] until you arrive there." For this reason the town was named Zoar (few, small).

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained down brimstone (flaming sulfur) and fire on Sodom and on Gomorrah from the LORD out of heaven,

Genesis 19:25
and He overthrew (demolished, ended) those cities, and the entire valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.

Genesis 19:27
Abraham started out early the next morning to the place where he [only the day before] had stood before the LORD;

2 Corinthians 6:2
For He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME (the time of grace) I LISTENED TO YOU, AND I HELPED YOU ON THE DAY OF SALVATION." Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"—

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord said unto him, go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus,.... He is bid to go back the way he came, through the wilderness of Arabia, which was part of his way to Damascus, near to which was another wilderness, which took its name from thence; though Fortunatus Schacchus x thinks no other is meant by this phrase than returning to his former course and custom of preach the law of God, and reclaiming men from the error of their ways:

and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; it is nowhere related that Elijah did go to Damascus, and anoint Hazael, though it may be he did; however he acquainted Elisha with it, and he declared it to Hazael, that he should be king of Syria, and which perhaps is all that is meant by anointing; that is, that he should be made king, and which was declared by both these prophets, see 2 Kings 8:13.

x Elaeochrism. Myrothec. l. 1. c. 39. col. 198.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The answer is not a justification of the ways of God, nor a direct reproof of the prophet’s weakness and despondency, nor an explanation or application of what Elijah had seen. For the present, he is simply directed back into the path of practical duty. His mission is not yet over, there is still work for him to do. He receives special injunctions with respect to Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha; and he is comforted with a revelation well adapted to rouse him from his despondency: there are seven thousand who will sympathize with him in his trials, and who need his care and attention.

The wilderness of Damascus - Probably the district north of the prophet’s own country, between Bashan and Damascus itself, and which was known in later times as Iturea and Gaulanitis. Here the prophet might be secure from Jezebel, while he could readily communicate with both Israel and Damascus, and execute the commissions with which he was entrusted.

When thou comest, anoint - Rather, “and thou shalt go and anoint,” Elijah performed one only of the three commissions given to him. He appears to have been left free to choose the time for executing his commissions, and it would seem that he thought the proper occasion had not arisen either for the first or the second before his own translation. But he took care to communicate the divine commands to his successor, who performed them at the fitting moment (marginal references).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 19:15. To the wilderness of Damascus — He does not desire him to take a road by which he might be likely to meet Jezebel, or any other of his enemies.

Anoint Hazael — For what reason the Lord was about to make all these revolutions, we are told in 1 Kings 19:17. God was about to bring his judgments upon the land, and especially on the house of Ahab. This he exterminated by means of Jehu; and Jehu himself was a scourge of the Lord to the people. Hazael also grievously afflicted Israel; see the accomplishment of these purposes, 2 Kings 8:0, and 2 Kings 9:0.